A bill that would require California’s assisted living communities to share their direct care ratios with residents may not result in an accurate reflection of the person-centered care provided to residents, according to a senior living provider group.
The California legislature is considering AB 508, which would require residential care facilities for the elderly to maintain records of their direct care ratios. Direct care ratios are calculated by the number of hours worked by direct care staff members on a specific day, divided by the number of residents who received care in a community that day.
Those ratios would need to be disclosed to residents upon admission, or any time a rate increase occurs. In addition, all marketing materials would have to indicate that direct care ratios are calculated daily and that the information is available to the public.
Although LeadingAge California said that it generally agrees with the intent of the bill to provide consumer transparency, the group said the legislation doesn’t consider the unique factors of assisted living communities.
Assisted living communities are required to provide the appropriate level of care needed for each resident, which may be provided by various levels of skilled professionals, LeadingAge Vice President of Legislative Affairs Amber King told McKnight’s Senior Living. And there are varied offerings across communities of differing sizes and care types — from minimal assistance to dementia care — with care needs changing day to day, she added.
“Daily reporting of the ratio fails to account for these differences and may not accurately reflect the person-centered care provided to the resident,” King said, adding that consumers appreciate the home-like setting of assisted living communities. “Assisted living was created out of a need to balance independence and support for older adults who require assistance with daily activities but do not need the intensive care provided by skilled nursing facilities.”
Source: McKnights Seniorliving
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